GIANTS NOTEBOOK / Hole-Punchers Find Life Beyond Bonds

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, June 16, 1999

1999-06-16 04:00:00 PDT Denver -- Anyone who has closely followed the Giants' success over the past few seasons knows they have won with a strong team effort, 25 players contributing to the cause rather than one or two superstars carrying the load.

To most of America, though, the Giants have been "Barry Bonds and those other guys."

The National League All-Star votes released yesterday suggest that fans around the country are starting to pay closer attention to some of "those other guys."

Shortstop Rich Aurilia and second baseman Jeff Kent each were in fifth place in their respective positions, with two weeks of balloting to go. That sounds unimpressive until you consider that last year Kent finished ninth among second baseman and Aurilia 15th among shortstops. First baseman J. T. Snow, who was ninth last year, is in eighth place now.

"I think it's great," Aurilia said. "We're not only attracting Giants fans, but maybe in some places around the league the fans are seeing how we play and how good a ballclub we are. Maybe the word is getting out."

Kent and Aurilia's fifth-place showing is even more impressive considering how few fans have come to 3Com Park this season. Kent has 69,673 votes, compared with 296,465 for perennial front-runner Craig Biggio of Houston. Following Biggio are Jay Bell of Arizona, Bret Boone of Atlanta and Edgardo Alfonzo of New York.

"I don't believe I'll ever be voted into an All-Star Game," said Kent, who said Bell should start this year. "In all due respect to the fans, people vote for players who have already been there, although they are great players. All- Star voting is always a popularity contest rather than a vote for who's better at the position."